Discrimination Against Atheists? - Think Atheist2016-12-10T05:17:28Zhttp://www.thinkatheist.com/forum/topics/discrimination-against-atheists?commentId=1982180%3AComment%3A1251747&xg_source=activity&feed=yes&xn_auth=noSorry for the really slow res…tag:www.thinkatheist.com,2013-02-04:1982180:Comment:12554822013-02-04T20:46:53.262ZClaire Couchhttp://www.thinkatheist.com/profile/ClaireCouch
<p>Sorry for the really slow response. Didn't see this comment and/or wasn't about every day.</p>
<p>Of course, feel free. </p>
<p>Of course, not being a TA maven, I've not entirely mastered the interface yet. So, that being said, I don't think I even know how to check IMs or even see if I have any yet. I'll look into it, but if my reply is slowish, it may be that I'm either slowish in the brain, or lazy in my research... Or perhaps I'm a total jerk and am ignoring ya, but I think 1 or 2…</p>
<p>Sorry for the really slow response. Didn't see this comment and/or wasn't about every day.</p>
<p>Of course, feel free. </p>
<p>Of course, not being a TA maven, I've not entirely mastered the interface yet. So, that being said, I don't think I even know how to check IMs or even see if I have any yet. I'll look into it, but if my reply is slowish, it may be that I'm either slowish in the brain, or lazy in my research... Or perhaps I'm a total jerk and am ignoring ya, but I think 1 or 2 more likely.</p> I am a firm believer that any…tag:www.thinkatheist.com,2013-01-27:1982180:Comment:12522522013-01-27T10:08:41.687ZPeta Mhttp://www.thinkatheist.com/profile/PetaM
<p>I am a firm believer that any and all discrimination is fear based as humans we are afraid of many new things which is in fact a survival instinct and very often people who come accross new things they don't know how to deal with will watch it, run away from it , ignore it, mock it, play with it , or try to kill it , all completely normal experimental discovery type behaviours - however socially unacceptable since we've evolved somewhat ,and also difficult on the recipient end of the…</p>
<p>I am a firm believer that any and all discrimination is fear based as humans we are afraid of many new things which is in fact a survival instinct and very often people who come accross new things they don't know how to deal with will watch it, run away from it , ignore it, mock it, play with it , or try to kill it , all completely normal experimental discovery type behaviours - however socially unacceptable since we've evolved somewhat ,and also difficult on the recipient end of the experiment (fight or flight etc...) . Some of us seem to be armed with all the skills to do these things and explore new things an inoffensive empathetic manner some of us clearly don't.</p>
<p>In my opinion almost all of us are taught these skills from watching our parents, so there is no simple cure, and your right there is definately plenty of discrimination about lots of things out there and often its fueled by parenting and closed societies and their magnified and somewhat obscurely confirmed (by their relevant others) fear of the unknown .</p>
<p>I have come accross Atheist discrimination before mainly from Christians, and I've always started with please tell me your definition of an atheist and it usually ends there or ends with a poor understanding and explanation which I resond to with , well your wasting your time discriminating against me because what you just described has nothing to do with what you think i may or may not be, and I would suggest a dictionary .</p>
<p>Alternately if they do know which is rare i will say so you are actually knowingly discriminating against me are you because that's not very Christian of you and from what i've read people seem to have ended up in hell for lesser offences haven't they?</p>
<p>Little do most of them know not only am i an atheist I was raised by Theists and probably have read their bible with more scrutiny than they ever have and I certainly wont waste a breath giving them a verse or 2 of there own if they care to take up that challenge .</p>
<p>On a positive note 1 of those people is to this day one of my best friends after tackling the subject we found we actually quited liked each other and although we didn't have that in common there were lots of other things we did have in common the rest is history ...</p> Agreed.
I want to ask your pe…tag:www.thinkatheist.com,2013-01-27:1982180:Comment:12524162013-01-27T03:58:06.013ZWilliam Boydhttp://www.thinkatheist.com/profile/WilliamBoyd
<p>Agreed.</p>
<p>I want to ask your permission to send you private messages about our homelands. If you don't mind. I knew of no atheists growing up. I don't want to say it was hard but it wasn't easy. I'm curious about your home history indeed.</p>
<p>I understand if you decline. No problem.</p>
<p>Agreed.</p>
<p>I want to ask your permission to send you private messages about our homelands. If you don't mind. I knew of no atheists growing up. I don't want to say it was hard but it wasn't easy. I'm curious about your home history indeed.</p>
<p>I understand if you decline. No problem.</p> Never thought of that, but I…tag:www.thinkatheist.com,2013-01-26:1982180:Comment:12521472013-01-26T20:41:21.266ZClaire Couchhttp://www.thinkatheist.com/profile/ClaireCouch
<p>Never thought of that, but I guess it makes sense.</p>
<p>Never thought of that, but I guess it makes sense.</p> I tend to keep to myself unle…tag:www.thinkatheist.com,2013-01-26:1982180:Comment:12520752013-01-26T20:36:20.837ZDeLaney Jenkinshttp://www.thinkatheist.com/profile/DeLaneyNicoleJenkins
<p>I tend to keep to myself unless I hear others saying that they believe as I do. Thank you very much so for your comment :) Best wishes to you and your daughter.</p>
<p>I tend to keep to myself unless I hear others saying that they believe as I do. Thank you very much so for your comment :) Best wishes to you and your daughter.</p> Here's my recent adventure in…tag:www.thinkatheist.com,2013-01-26:1982180:Comment:12519882013-01-26T20:30:35.809ZSteveInCOhttp://www.thinkatheist.com/profile/SteveInCO
<p>Here's my recent adventure in the Texas panhandle....</p>
<p><a href="http://letreasonreign.wordpress.com/2012/10/22/you-know-its-the-bible-belt-when/" target="_blank">http://letreasonreign.wordpress.com/2012/10/22/you-know-its-the-bible-belt-when/</a></p>
<p></p>
<p>Here's my recent adventure in the Texas panhandle....</p>
<p><a href="http://letreasonreign.wordpress.com/2012/10/22/you-know-its-the-bible-belt-when/" target="_blank">http://letreasonreign.wordpress.com/2012/10/22/you-know-its-the-bible-belt-when/</a></p>
<p></p> I'm thankful I didn't convert…tag:www.thinkatheist.com,2013-01-26:1982180:Comment:12521452013-01-26T20:30:17.230ZDeLaney Jenkinshttp://www.thinkatheist.com/profile/DeLaneyNicoleJenkins
<p>I'm thankful I didn't convert during middle school. . .Simply wouldn't have been a good time. I must say that girl was very brave. Braver than I for sure lol I'm glad to hear it gets better in college haha Thank you for your comment :)</p>
<p>I'm thankful I didn't convert during middle school. . .Simply wouldn't have been a good time. I must say that girl was very brave. Braver than I for sure lol I'm glad to hear it gets better in college haha Thank you for your comment :)</p> I'm sorry to hear you have to…tag:www.thinkatheist.com,2013-01-26:1982180:Comment:12518802013-01-26T17:42:54.218ZKairan Nierdehttp://www.thinkatheist.com/profile/KairanNierde
<p>I'm sorry to hear you have to deal with nutjobs like Ms. Minister. We only had a few religious zealots in my school and they kept to themselves, preferring to be righteous in silence. I was moderately religious at the time, and I never noticed much talk of religion. There was a prayer meet before and outside of highschool that I went to a couple of times...perhaps 40-80 students and some faculty attended. In college, I don't think I knew any atheists but I feel they would have been…</p>
<p>I'm sorry to hear you have to deal with nutjobs like Ms. Minister. We only had a few religious zealots in my school and they kept to themselves, preferring to be righteous in silence. I was moderately religious at the time, and I never noticed much talk of religion. There was a prayer meet before and outside of highschool that I went to a couple of times...perhaps 40-80 students and some faculty attended. In college, I don't think I knew any atheists but I feel they would have been tolerated. I went to a Jesuit college (Catholic). Perhaps they would have been engaged in discussion out of curiousity...but the atmosphere in college is generally one of repectful tolerance for diversity. It can even be "cool" to be unique. I wish real life were more like college! :-)</p>
<p>Hrm...I think the Big Scary Atheist has hairy arms because atheism is associated with Darwinism. I recently saw a documentary on the development of women's fashion and personal hygiene, and it said that one of the factors influencing the rising popularity of shaving was the changing awareness of where humans stand in relation to nature. People wanted to distance themselves from the apes, as Christian thought has always allowed them to do. </p> Grady, you know I don't live…tag:www.thinkatheist.com,2013-01-26:1982180:Comment:12519722013-01-26T17:38:58.132ZSarah Jane Hallhttp://www.thinkatheist.com/profile/SarahJaneHall
<p>Grady, you know I don't live in the south, and I have never really even been to the south except for very short bits of time...one time we drove through the Texas Oklahoma pan handle... but according to all I have heard and seen in the media, and on various TV shows and having a bf who is from TX they are still a lot of backwards thinking, bible toating, gun rack owning, pick up truck driving, skin head NATZI types. Seriously I still can not believe this one, but he told me his cousins…</p>
<p>Grady, you know I don't live in the south, and I have never really even been to the south except for very short bits of time...one time we drove through the Texas Oklahoma pan handle... but according to all I have heard and seen in the media, and on various TV shows and having a bf who is from TX they are still a lot of backwards thinking, bible toating, gun rack owning, pick up truck driving, skin head NATZI types. Seriously I still can not believe this one, but he told me his cousins accused him all the time of being gay for things like liking to clean and cook, and for liking to watch wrestling....WRESTLING REALLY! How is that a stereotype of someone being gay????? The point is I am agreeing with you about the southern half of the US still being so far off base from what we mostly think here in the northern states. I'm sure we have our share of gay bashing racist idiots here as well, but I really truly and honestly don't think anywhere near as much. </p>
<p>Maybe we as atheists should just all make a pact to stay living outside the red states, or maybe we should all move into the red states and take over, and teach those people true tolerance and values that make sense. </p>
<p></p> I came from a pretty rural ar…tag:www.thinkatheist.com,2013-01-26:1982180:Comment:12519632013-01-26T16:20:52.055ZGrady Jeanhttp://www.thinkatheist.com/profile/GradyMarkEwaldJean
<p>I came from a pretty rural area, and it goes without saying that Christianity was the Religion of choice for most people in my area. It came in different flavors. There were maybe three or four Catholics, a handful of Methodists, some Pentecostals, and a SHIT ton of Baptists. The baptists were easily the worst, and I don't know exactly why. Maybe it's just the sect itself, I dunno. Yes, there IS definitely discrimination against Atheists...in High School. EVERYONE in High School gets…</p>
<p>I came from a pretty rural area, and it goes without saying that Christianity was the Religion of choice for most people in my area. It came in different flavors. There were maybe three or four Catholics, a handful of Methodists, some Pentecostals, and a SHIT ton of Baptists. The baptists were easily the worst, and I don't know exactly why. Maybe it's just the sect itself, I dunno. Yes, there IS definitely discrimination against Atheists...in High School. EVERYONE in High School gets discriminated against in one form or another. In the work place, it's almost non-existent north of the Mason-Dixie Line. Employers know that if they reject a potential employee, or fire one, based purely on their religious beliefs (or lack there-of), they can become the source of a very expensive and very serious legal battle, one that can ruin their reputation and cost them customers. It doesn't stop them from looking for legitimate reasons to fire you, but it does keep them from making your life hell simply because of your atheism.<br/><br/>High School is a social cesspool, and everyone knows it. Unless you're living in the deep south, your lack of a religion isn't going to cause you much trouble outside of school. Personal experience may vary, but I've found this to be largely true.</p>